Last year’s Honda Indy Toronto race lineup was nothing to scoff at, and this year’s is just as strong if not stronger. The July 18-20 weekend around the streets of Exhibition Place is, in a word, stacked.

A release from the event on Thursday confirmed that six support series that will race alongside the IndyCar Series, which will hold its second “2 in Toronto” doubleheader event.

Sports cars feature prominently. The Pirelli World Challenge returns for two races, albeit only with the GT and GTS classes as opposed to all classes as it had this past year. IMSA has a presence with the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin, for its first trip to the streets of Toronto.

Two of the Andersen Promotions-run series, Indy Lights and USF2000, provide two-thirds of the open-wheel component. Pro Mazda will not return, and in its place is the Toyo Tires F1600 Series, based in Ontario.

Capping things off and no doubt providing the “wow factor” will be Robby Gordon’s Stadium Super Trucks Series, back for an encore in 2014. Those are high-powered off-road trucks racing side-by-side on the challenging street course, also tackling huge jumps, crossovers and whoop sections.

“From start to finish, the on-track excitement will have fans on the edge of their seats this summer,” Charlie Johnstone, president of the Honda Indy Toronto, said in a release. “The team here has been very busy securing a top-notch schedule that will cater to everyone, heighten the excitement and let our fans know how much we truly appreciate them.”

That schedule is a treat for race fans. Speaking from personal experience after my long-awaited first trip to the event last year, I’d recommend buying your tickets sooner rather than later.

It’s known as “Carburetor Day” – or in its simplest term, just “Carb Day.”

But the final day of on-track action Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before Sunday’s 102nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 is so much more.

Especially on NBCSN, which will have wall-to-wall live coverage starting Friday morning.

Here’s how Friday’s schedule breaks down:

11 a.m. ET: Carb Day kicks off with the final practice for Sunday’s Indy 500. The session will last one hour in length.

12 p.m. ET: We’re going racing! Strap in for coverage of the Indy Lights’ Freedom 100 on the famous Brickyard.

1:30 p.m. ET: We’ll have coverage of the annual IndyCar Pit Stop Challenge. Which teams have the best – and most importantly, fastest and accurate – pit crews? Team Penske has won 10 of the last 12, including the last two years edging out Schmidt Peterson Motorsports each time. Who can potentially beat them this year?

3:30 p.m. ET: We’ll have our annual NASCAR America Motorsports Special. Among segments included in the 90-minute show will be:1) 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi will discuss how it used to upset him when people suggested he “backed into” his big win and how he didn’t really feel vindicated until he qualified on the front row for last year’s race.
2) Defending 500 winner Takuma Sato, the first Japanese driver to ever win at Indianapolis, discusses the impact of his big win personally and professionally, particularly back in his native land.
3) An essay by Robin Miller on Stefan Wilson giving up his ride last year to allow Fernando Alonso to race for Andretti Autosport.
4) An essay by Nate Ryan on Danica Patrick as she looks to compete in her final Indy 500 before retiring from professional racing.